Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Newcastle grades B+ overall, 57th among Washington's 285 graded towns. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally. Its schools outperform 88% of the state's and the median household earns $160K. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $1.3 million for a typical one and 11.6 times the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income. 69% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Newcastle, above both the Washington town median (30%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Newcastle is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 91% of U.S. towns. Only 32 of Washington’s 397 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Newcastle beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Newcastle | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 9% |
10,380 counted in 2010 and 13,017 in 2020; an estimated 13,128 in 2025.
Growth has leveled off: within 1% of 2020, after 25.4% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Washington), ordered by how far Newcastle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 12,245 in 1980, 13,017 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1950 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Newcastle. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi LookoutSpace Needle
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaLumen Field
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaClimate Pledge Arena
9 mi Stadium & arenaT-Mobile Park
9 mi Ancient siteSeattle Underground
10 mi Stadium & arenaHusky StadiumSpace Needle: Another Believer, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lumen Field: "Smart Destinations", GoSeattleCard.com, and Go Seattle Card Blog, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Climate Pledge Arena: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · T-Mobile Park: MyName (Cacophony), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Seattle Underground: Mark Hursh, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Husky Stadium: Atomic Taco, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newcastle, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Newcastle.
Newcastle has cooler summers than nearly all U.S. towns and has less tooth loss than most of Washington, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Washington.
At 11.6 years of the Seattle metro’s $115K median household income, the typical home (about $1.34M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Washington towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,967, against $4,556 across Washington, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The median rent in Newcastle is $2,369 a month. The typical Newcastle home is worth about $1,337,000, down 1.7% in a year, more than twice the Washington typical home. 61% of Newcastle households own their home.
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,369 a month | $1,737 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 71% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.34M.
Its public schools are run by the Renton School District. One of its 4 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vera Risdon Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 751 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within WA on state tests and graduation
Newcastle’s trail density is 7.0 miles per square mile. May Creek Park, at 145 acres with 2.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 31 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves.
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 7.0 miles per square mile | 0.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.1% | 4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. May Creek Park | 2.6 mi | 145 |
| 2. Coal Creek Natural Area | 1.1 mi | 64 |
| 3. Hazelwood Park | 0.4 mi | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Washington is tooth loss: 4.4% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 9% statewide.
20% of adults have obesity in Newcastle. Newcastle beats the Washington average on 25 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 26% of adults have high blood pressure in Newcastle.
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 33% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 13% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 17% |
| What stands out | Newcastle | WA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.4% | 9% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 2.7% | 5.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 1,718 in 2013 to 2,416. 30.2% of workers work from home, against 19.8% across Washington.
Most working residents leave Newcastle for work: only 1% work in town. Jobs based in Newcastle grew to 2,416 in 2023, 698 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Seattle (33%), Bellevue (18%) and Redmond (9%).
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $160,000 | $98,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 5% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.9% | 7.9% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
July afternoons average 76.6°, cooler than in 97% of U.S. towns; January nights average 36.3°.
Newcastle has mild winters and pleasant summers. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 77°F | 77°F | 85°F |
| January low | 36°F | 35°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 344 to 216 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Washington, it does better than 60% of towns.
| Newcastle | Washington towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.8 per 1,000 residents | 15 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
20 within 15 miles of the center of Newcastle
About 7 of every 100 Newcastle residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Washington.
8.1% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
2 towns share a border with Newcastle.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Newcastle grades B+ overall, better than 69% of U.S. towns and #57 of 285 in Washington. It grades A+ for health, C+ for safety and A for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Within Washington, it does better than 60% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
2 notable people were born here, including Herman Carl Andersen and John Martin Leahy.
